All that said, I do not think MSPL is the way to enforcing automatic logout. Its focus is on SIP routing, not the Lync 2013 client controls.

You would use MSPL scripts to control where certain calls are sent, or through which voice routes each office goes. Local client modification is more the preserve of PowerShell and GPOs. Which is where my research went next.

I looked for a PowerShell cmdlet which may control user logins or session logouts – but there was nothing relevant. Which disappointed me a little – I thought PowerShell, with its extensive cmdlet library, would have at least one cmdlet for governing Lync 2013’s login/logout behavior.

Next I looked into GPOs. Here I did find some success. Not directly so, but close enough that I can say we have 2 possible solutions to the reader’s question.

2 Ways to Control Lync 2013 Logout

#1 – Use a Custom Group Policy Object (GPO). There isn’t a standard GPO which controls session logoff (at least not yet!). After much research, we did come across a custom GPO which comes close though. It was written by Murali Krishnan over at UnifiedMe.co.uk:Lync 2013 Group Policy to Enforce Ringtones Centrally
Murali has graciously made the .ADM file available for download on this page. One of the functions it provides is setting users’ Idle Timeout and Session Timeout. Which accomplishes close to the same thing.

#2 – Configure Windows to auto-logout instead! When you log out of Windows, Lync automatically signs out too. And it’s very simple to log users out of Windows at the admin level. It’s a workaround, but hey, it does work!

Jas, I hope this gives you something to work with. Honestly, I’d never thought about administration of Lync’s login/logout before. Since it’s normally dependent on the user’s actions – or in this case inaction – the system’s default functions were sufficient. But I can (now) easily see the need for control of such – if you’re in a large corporate environment and need to schedule updates, for instance.

Do you know of another way to automatically log users off of Lync 2013 clients? If so, please comment or email!

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About the Skype for Business Insider Blog

The Skype4B Insider is a blog about the technology we use to communicate in business today. Here we talk about Microsoft's Skype for Business Server 2015, Lync Server 2013, Unified Communications, Voice over IP and related technologies like Exchange Server. Written by Chris W., MCSE in Communication and PlanetMagpie IT Consulting's Digital Marketing & Communications Manager.